OT: Favorite Movie/Best Under Radar Movie

Since the Denard voting fest is done and it is going to be a grind till 4 pm tomorrow I thought this would help pass the time. Simple thing just post your favorite movie(s) or maybe a lesser known movie you found to be a great under the radar movie, or hell just a good recent movie you seen lately.

Not really answering your question, but I've been watching a lot of BBC documentaries recently. They're typically well written, the cinematography is first-rate and there's no reason to be paranoid about downloading them. It's easy to find them on YouTube too.

I happened to be doing work on a Norwegian securities fraud case, so it hit the spot. It's a great satire on provincial attitudes and the haplessness of Norwegian bureaucracy, as well as being a decent action film. If you like Scandinavian movies, I also recommend "Rare Exports," set in Finland - a little gory, but fun.

Patton is favorite movie. My dad served under him durring WWII (the part at the very start when Patton first takes command of the American troops) so needless to say when he took me to see it when it came out I got to hear just how historically accurate it was. And George C. Scott delivered probably one of the greatest if not THE greatest performances in the history of cinema in the lead role.

Under the radar? Probably either Miracle Mile (crazy concept - nuiclear war has begun and it shows what civilization would be like in the hours before the missles hit) or Groundhog Day believe it or not. I've seen that movie like 100 times and it makes me laugh everytime I do. Bill Murray is fantastic.

Best 10 minutes EVER of film? Alex Baldwn delivering the "pep talk" in Glengarry Glenn Ross I have worked my entire life in sales and nothing gives me chills more than watching him address the broken down, sad-sack sales team before the evening "sit".

Apocalypse Now is one of the greatest movies ever made. As far as under the radar films go, I'd agree with Jacob's Ladder and also throw in Sunshine. I also really like There Will be Blood, The Professional, and Primal Fear.

I've always liked some of Sidney Lumet's films in particular, so count "The Verdict", "Serpico", "Network" and "Dog Day Afternoon" among some of my favorites.

As for a movie that I thought was good and didn't get a whole lot of attention, at least in the US, it would have to be the German film "Goodbye, Lenin!" - very clever film, I thought. Another one that was obscure but a decent adaptation, in my opinion, was HBO's adaptation of "Barbarians At The Gate" from the early 1990s, based on the Bryan Burrough and John Heylar work about the leveraged buyout of RJR Nabisco.

"Win win" - Paul Giammatti in an excellent, simple character story about a struggling lawyer/high school wrestling coach taking in a troubled teen.

"We Need to Talk About Kevin" - Pyschological thriller about a troubled/possessed teen with superb acting (Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly, Ezra Miller). Very chilling and disturbing - not disturbing in a "gross out" way, but disturbing in the sense that it is totally believable and kind of scary to consider this movie's place in our society today (that's a weird, shadowy description, but I can't really explain it better without giving away too much).

I have a lot of movies that I loved, but if I have to pick a favorite I have to say that is Forrest Gump, the one movie I have watched over and over again without ever getting sick of it. As far as underrated goes, Lord of War. I am actually surprised as to how under the radar that movie is. If you like foreign flicks, Gangster is a wonderfully produced Bollywood movie. Worst movie I have ever seen that I still love would be Rubber.

You get a bit different sense of Hawkeye in different DVD versions. I forget which expands on some of his dialogue. There were at least 3 scenes cut short where he's said more, usually a quip in his response.

When first arriving at the fort, one buddy of his already there asks him, "We didn't think you and Uncas were joining in this fight." Hawkeye's response is, "We didn't." Yet in the other DVD he adds, "We just stopped in to see how you boys were doin."

When they're walking to get to the fort in the conversation between Duncan and Hawkeye, Duncan asks, "There is a war, how is it you are headed west?" Hawkeye responds, "Well we face to the north and real sudden like turn left." (Great response by the way). Hawkeye adds, "We ain't your scout, not your damn militia either." In the extended version of the conversation he adds, "Clear it up any?"

There's at least one more but can't remember off the top of my head. Unfortunately I have the sortened version on DVD (also the last fight scene is modified). In the version I have, the last blow to Magwa is shown in a slow motion/blurry shot. The original is just a normal shot which is much better IMO.

-Moon http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1182345/?ref_=sr_4 Really cool movie done in 2009. I have never really been into Sci-Fi movies, but if you have some time and want to relax, this is a good Psychological Sci-Fi movie. It gets better and better as it goes on.

Richard Matheson, which he adapted for the movie. He also wrote I Am Legend, What Dreams May Come, and the Twilight Zone episode " Nightmare at 20,000 Feet", plus many others.

My personal under the radar movie is Charade. I saw it during a film festival at the Stanford Theatre (shows lots of old movies in a wonderful venue) with movies like North by Northwest. I had never heard of it before and it is brilliant. "Where had this movie been all my life, and why haven't I heard of it before?!" was our reaction. The dialogue is fantastic:

"I already know an awful lot of people and until one of them dies I couldn't possibly meet anyone else. "
"Well, if anyone goes on the critical list, let me know. "

"Ha! She batted them pretty little eyes at you and you fell for it like an egg from a tall chicken!"

Having said that, I recently rewatched it and it's odd how geo-politics have shifted in relation to that film. In the movie, of course, a bunch of American teenage kids retreat to the mountains & wage a guerrila war against an invading enemy power. And now it's hard not to look at a place like Afghanistan & see how the tables are turned (i.e., America as the invading power & young kids resorting to suicide bombs to retaliate). Weird how times changes.

and I literally mean ANY movie written/directed by Jim Jarmusch. The guy is really a genius. Can't believe he's not better renown.

I also really like the earlier Woody Allen (Manhattan, Annie Hall, etc.). Not really under the radar, but most people can't stand him or his movies. But Woody has a way of getting under your skin and those earlier movies are really masterpieces.

Not really sure what my actual absolute favorite movie is. I'd be leaving out a lot of good ones by picking one. It might just have to be Tommy Boy, or maybe Jurassic Park since when that came out I was, like, right in that movie's wheelhouse for a target audience that would walk out of the theater with their mind completely and totally blown by the awesomeness. (I was 11. You could probably say it was the first "grown-up" movie I saw in the theater.)

For under-the-radar stuff, that pick is easy: Titus. It's Julie Taymor's (she's more famous for the stage production of The Lion King) adaptation of Titus Andronicus, which is one of Shakespeare's goriest, nastiest (and for that matter, itself very under-the-radar) plays. It's fantastic. Takes place in a very anachronistic version of Rome and has some serious talent in it, notably Anthony Hopkins and Jessica Lange.

House Of Games (1987 feature that David Mamet wrote and directed, with Joe Mantegna and Lindsay Crouse, Mamet’s wife at the time, plus a great supporting cast in a memorable con game)

Festival Express (documentary of the musical caravan from Toronto to Winnipeg to Calgary on a train in 1970 with The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Band and others)

The Kids Are Alright (The Who’s on first in this 1979 documentary of their career)

Where's Poppa? (a.k.a Going Ape) (Ruth Gordon and George Segal as mother and son, Lucky Charms and Pepsi for breakfast, Rob Reiner before he became Michael "Meathead" Stivic and a memorable chase through Central Park)

The Station Agent (Peter Dinklage before he became Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones, Bobby Cannavale before he became Gyp Rosetti in Boardwalk Empire and Patricia Clarkson before she became Patti "Mrs. Herb" Brooks in Miracle)

Under the radar is tougher...so many good ones and what qualifies as UtR? I mean, are Kevin Smith movies UtR? Probably not with this crowd, but to the general public. I saw Charade mentioned as a favorite above, but I'm not sure how many have seen it in this day and age. Does the cheese of Flash Gordon qualify? Then there some movies that made good money but maybe underrated with how much money comic book movies are making- I think Sin City is awesome, and Watchmen underrated because I don't think it ever could satisfy all expectations. Moulin Rouge is a great musical if you're ok with melodramatic camp. But I guess if I'm going to try and stick with one that people go "WHA?" on, I'd say Shall We Dance? The original Japanese version, not that Jennifer Lopez remake nonsense. I love that movie.

I have seen it so many times, I know most of the lines. (Drives my wife crazy). Other favorites: Shawshank Redemption, Saving Private Ryan, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Forrest Gump, The Wedding Singer, The Usual Suspects, Shrek, The Bridesmaids, Crimson Tide, Tombstone, The Unforgiven, Scent of a Woman, School of Rock, Silence of The Lambs. I could go on.

A Korean horror film, "Thirst," directed by Park Chan-wook, who also directed "Old Boy." It's a vampire film, but one that grapples with the morality of it, and it is darkly funny at times.

Another underrated Korean film is "Memories of Murder," about a rural detective who tries to solve a serial murder - a slow-paced but satisfying mystery thriller.

"Tell No One" is another great mystery-thriller (French), heavy on the thrills.

The BBC serial adaptation of "Wallander" starring Kenneth Branaugh is very good; really great atmosphere. I think most people will like it better than the Swedish adaptation ("Henning Mankell's Wallander"), which is also very good but focuses more on the day-to-day job of being a police detective and less on the psychological toil that being immersed in murder cases puts on one's emotional state.

...just kidding. Under the radar sports movie...Warrior. Not really into UFC...but this movie was surprisingly good.

Acceptable chick flick...Love Actually.

Love the Memento, Last of Mohicans, Usual Suspects, Tomstine, Gladiator, True Romance, Snatch, Lock, Stock..., Almost Famous, Better off Dead posts. I love BTILC...but it is a terrible movie!

Some more awesome movies I did not see above...Traffic, No Country For Old Men, True Grit, Royal Tenenbaums, LA Confidential, The Big Chill, Swingers, Jaws, Fugitive, Kingsom of Heaven, The Two Towers, Empire Stikes Back, Dazed and Confused...and I love Old School, Hangover and Wedding Crashers.

... I see Chronicles as a mish-mash of potentially interesting science fiction themes ground together as backdrops for the putative action scenes on which the plot is overlaid to tie them together. I do watch for a bit when it's on because those action scenes are visually striking but I wouldn't call it great science fiction.

What about it puts it in that category for you?

Reservoir Dogs is the second-bloodiest movie I've ever seen behind only the second half of Event Horizon (the first half of which is quite good and abandoned in the second half when the director punts and says "Release The Blood!"). An excellent movie though, as little of the blood is gratuitous.

As far as underrated movies goes how about Dark City, and Oldboy. A more recent film but doesn't really qualify as underrated is The Cabin in the Woods, great flick, and the elevator scene is nothing less than pure gold.

Is one of my top 3. I've given up on trying to recruit new viewers. Rarely do people get it or find it funny. Either you love it or hate it. It's truly one of those shows. It's fun to be out and here people reference it. It's so common and boring to hear the typical Will Ferrell (i.e. "you're my boy blue")movie reference. When I hear someone reference it, said person and myself usually bond over our favorite Tim and Eric characters.